Cold active lipase from <em>Pseudomonas</em> sp. VITCLP4 as degreasing agent in leather processing

Abstract

The potential of cold active lipase from <em>Pseudomonas</em> sp. VITCLP4 in degreasing of greasy skin has been investigated. Degreasing efficacy has been studied at four different stages (liming, deliming, pickling and depickling) of the pre-tanning process. Being alkaline, expectedly the enzyme at 10% concentration on pelt weight performed well at deliming stage, resulting in acceptable residual fat content of 3.5%. The more desired residual fat and free fatty acid content (FFA) of less than 2% and 0.5% has been achieved when the enzyme (10%) is used along with a commercial degreasing formulation (0.5%) at depickling stage, cutting short the concentration of degreasing agent from 3% to 0.5%. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) studies and physical properties testing reveal that the enzyme treatment imparts desirable properties to finished leather. The results indicate that the enzyme alone or along with a chemical degreasing agent can be used at deliming or depickling stage to produce leathers with acceptable or desirable fat content as per the need of finished leathers.